MEDIA RELEASE: Post 2015 Declaration must contain the human right to water and sanitation say hundreds of civil society organizations

Civil society organizations from around the world are making an urgent call for the human right to water and sanitation (HRTWS) to be explicitly named in the Declaration of the Post-2015 Development Agenda.

Today, 621 organizations collectively representing billions of people globally issued a joint letter to United Nations (UN) Member States urging them to include this fundamental right in the Declaration. This letter builds on the consistent and urgent advocacy done by civil society throughout the Post-2015 process regarding the importance of the inclusion of the HRTWS.

The Declaration will be a document of political aspiration overarching the Post-2015 Development Agenda, including the Sustainable Development Goals. A draft of the document is anticipated to be released by the end of this month. UN Member States. have stressed the need for an agenda that is just, equitable, transformative, and people-centered. Global water justice groups argue that inclusion of the HRTWS in the Post-2015 Declaration is vital to realizing this goal.

The UN General Assembly recognized the HRTWS as a human right in 2010. Yet 40% of the world’s population lacks access to adequate sanitation and a quarter of the population that lacks access to clean drinking water. The Post-2015 Development Agenda presents an important opportunity to fulfill the commitments made by member states in 2010.–

For more information, please contact Avery Kelly at sdgrighttowatergmail.com andMeera Karunanathan at meeracanadians.org

The NGO Mining Working Group (MWG) is a coalition of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that, in partnership with our members and affected local communities, advocates at and through the United Nations for human and environmental rights as related to extractive industries. Direct email inquiries to miningworkinggroupgmail.com

The Blue Planet Project is a global initiative working with partners around the world to promote water as a human right and a vital part of the global commons.